We're all here again for the new season, which, as usual, begins with the Charity Shield between the league champions and the cup winners.

Champions Bullford have bought in two new players, and one of these, Duncan Ferguson, leads the attack, but the other new boy, Tony Cottee, has not been selected. Melchester Rovers have been the busiest club in the transfer market, with only three of last season's team remaining, as they have prepared for the more modest financial returns of the second division. One thing is certain, no matter who the players are, Melchester Rovers, will strive to produce skilful and attractive football. This season they are expected to play a w-m formation.

The match: Bullford 2, Melchester Rovers 3.(after extra time)

It was Rovers who began the brighter, by playing the ball around in midfield, the one area where they had numerical superiority, although it was a typical Bullford move which produced the first shot, when Campbell nodded a long through pass into Connolly's path, but the winger, running at full speed, mis-kicked his shot. Soon afterwards, it was Campbell's turn to run onto a nod down from Ferguson, and Howard had to be alert to save and then hurriedly clear. From the clearance, another short passing Rovers move ended when Halmosi's shot, from Osman's pass, struck the post. Back in front of the Rovers goal, Wright was probably grateful to be able to intercept another Ferguson flick on, intended for Campbell's running path. Another direct attack from Bullford was started by Hinchcliffe, whose pass down the left was perfect for Connolly, who, cutting inside from the left, put his side ahead.
Within a couple of minutes, Rovers were level, with a goal created very differently. The move began with McCall in his left half position. He passed to Halmosi, and then a series of passes involving Osman and Piper ended with the ball on the opposite wing, from where Phillips cut inside and equalised.

The second half began much as the first had ended, with Rovers having more of the ball, but Bullford's much more direct game always posing a threat.
Rovers had several more chances during the third quarter, although none was easy, and Dunne was always in the right place to save, or at least push the ball around a post. They eventually took the lead when McCall played the ball forward to Phillips, this time on the left. The winger played a one-two with Tynan before scoring his, and his team's, second goal. Soon after, a move involving Piper and Osman resulted in Tynan firing a powerful shot, but Dunne made possibly the best save of the match, and, equally possibly, kept his side in the contest. The resulting corner was cleared by Bullford, and Parkinson, in midfield, made another of his fine through passes. This time it was Campbell who nodded it down for Ferguson the level matters. The dying minutes of normal time provided half chances for Campbell at one end, then Phillips at the other, but both keepers were up to their task, and we were all to be treated to extra time.

The decisive goal came towards the end of the opening period, when Wright won the ball in front of his own area, and began another Rovers passing move, involving Bernard, McCall, Osman, and finally Halmosi, and again a goal came from a winger cutting inside to score. Bullford had an excellent chance in the closing seconds of the match, when Howard needed to make a fine save from Noone's shot, from King's pass.

Familiar readers may have spotted, from the above report, an unreported goalkeeper change at Bullford. In the end this transfer, initiated by Mill Athletic, didn't proceed, with the final decision made after match was played. Although Pat Dunne guested in this match, for the league season about to start, Andy Rankin will still be between the posts for the league champions.

There are two reasons why this was selected as the featured match. It provides an opportunity for a couple of lower profile sides, and it would be expected to produce a completely different type of match from the Bullford Melchester contest, which may not be apparent from a match report.

Both these teams play five across the back, with the midfield men starting in front of them. In the charity shield, there would usually be nine players in the match positioned either on the half-way line or further upfield, here there will be five. Both teams usually play the ball around inside their own half, preparing for the decisive pass, often bringing the full backs into the play, as wing backs. Also, neither of these two plays with a 'target man', the forwards play rather deeper, getting involved in the moves, and play towards the defenders, which can pose a question for defences, regarding how high to defend.

This one would be expected to be last on Match of the Day, with about thirty seconds of goalmouth action, and be the soporific one-nil.

That is indeed how the game began, a bit like volleyball, with each side asking questions and not finding any answers. John Delve, always the more energetic of Brimpton's midfielders, was particularly prominent, but their efforts were thwarted by Hodwell's defence. The game was into its second quarter before a shot threatened a goal, when Delve forced a throw on the left, and from it, Perrin's shot went just wide of the far post. Hodwell's first goal threat came a few minutes later, when Reid's pass, intended for Eastoe, was just cut out by Arnason, and Foster completed the clearance. Crudgington then had to make his first save after McCall and Reid combined to make a chance for Eastoe, which was saved. Reid then produced a through pass from which Eastoe and Heath short-passed their way through the defence, for the latter to fire home and put the visitors ahead. So, at halftime, the team who had done most of the defending, found themselves in front.

The early attacking moves of the second half again came from Brimpton, with Marshall, and then Keith, not quite able to convert difficult chances.
From Hodwell's first attack of the half, the lead was doubled. McCall played a pass from the centre circle, from which Eastoe and Heath again combined, this time to place the ball into Buszarky's path, and the advancing midfielder made no mistake. McCall tried to repeat the move a few minutes later, only for Foster to be just able to intercept his pass, and get the ball safely back to his keeper. Hodwell now began to play a more expansive game, and with Eastoe and Heath combining well, were looking the more likely to score, which they did when Pistone's crossfield pass reached Heath, who placed it perfectly for Eastoe to put the result beyond doubt. Very late on, two pieces of casual defending by Hodwell nearly allowed a consolation goal, but the ball, by this stage was not running for Brimpton.

So the match between two of the supposedly more defensive sides produced the most goals. It also had the biggest winning margin, even though the winning team was doing the defending for much the larger part of it. Funny old game.

Next time: rather a no brainer, back to the expected top of the table, with champions Bullford hosting runners-up Eastroke United. We hope you will be able to join us.

These two meet early on this time, with Bullford having an away win behind them at a re-energised Blundell City, while Eastroke need a late equaliser against big spending Mill Town.

Tactically this game would be similar to the Charity Shield, Bullford's 4-2-4 contrasting with a traditional w-m formation.

Not wanting to concede early, Eastroke deployed their wing halves as man-to-man markers in the early stages, not that this curtailed their attacking threat, with Limpar and Ball, each from a Sheedy pass, going close early on. Bullford responded when Connelly beat Darracott to a long pass out of defence, only for West, another new signing, to push the ball around the post. Darracott was more successful when, in Bullford's next attack, he deflected Ferguson's header away from the well positioned Campbell. Another long clearance, this time from Coughlan, was chased down, again by Connolly, but this time Darracott was able to deflect his shot for a corner. From this, Ferguson's near post header went just wide.

This match was developing just like the Charity Shield had done; the team with the short passing game having more territory and possession, but Bullford always looking very dangerous on the break. Late in the first half they went ahead when Parkinson's pass, again down the left, found Connolly, whose cross was nodded forward, this time by Campbell, for Ferguson to score against the club he recently left. Connolly was to supply another cross before the interval, this time it was deep, and Noone, coming in from the right, produced a shot on target, which Darracott, having a busy time in defence, blocked, and it went wide.

The second half began in dramatic fashion. From Bullford's kick off and initial attack, Gabriel got possession. He initiated a close-passing move involving involving Ball, Sheedy and Temple, all the way upfield, which ended when Nevin, cutting in from the right, fired home the equaliser. No home defender had touched the ball. In reply, another Campbell/Ferguson link up was scrambled away, and another visitors' passing move all the way upfield ended when a surprise shot from Ball, running in from behind Temple and Sheedy, was deflected into the arms of the grateful Rankin.
Following a long spell of Eastroke pressure, King produced the perfect through pass for Ferguson to run onto, and the centre forward sent a thunderbolt of a shot towards goal, only for West, somehow, to turn it around the post, with what must be an early candidate for save of the season.

After this, Eastroke opted to finish the game as they had started it, by being more watchful in defence, successfully ensuring they came away with their hard earned point. It doesn't always happen, but this game lived up to its top-of-the-table billing.

Next time: With top matches seemingly appearing thick and fast this season, Dave Blackpool's off to watch Aberdither United, keen to return to the top, host Mill Town. We hope you will be able to join us.

Will produce early tables after the next round of matches. All very tight just now, due to a rather frustrating series of draws. After two rounds, no team has won or lost both its games.in either division.

Another trend that has been occurring this season is the away team scoring first in well over half the matches. Home sides have become aware of this and are becoming slightly less gung-ho early on, leading to improved results.

These two teams, both containing some new faces, for rather different reasons, were facing up to each other after steady, rather than spectacular, starts to the new season.

Much of the early play was end-to-end, but with few chances being created. The closest this period came to one was when a through pass down the left freed Morrissey, but Stevens got back quickly to prevent Mill Town's new winger getting in a shot. It was somewhat against the run of play when Aberdither took the lead, midway through the half, from the penalty spot after Ratcliffe was adjudged to have pushed Husband. Possibly a harsh decision, but the correct one by the letter of the rule book. Royle made no mistake with the spot kick, and three minutes later doubled his tally, and his team's lead, when he ran onto Husband's pass, from the right wing, across the penalty area. A two goal advantage was certainly against the run of play , and Mill Town tried to respond immediately when Clark shot wide after playing a one-two with Wright-Phillips, and soon after, Wright-Phillips himself had a shot passing just wide after a move down the right involving Nisbet and Hodges. A repeat of this move, on the stroke of half-time, required Southall to save well from the striker, in order to preserve his side's two goal lead.

Early in the second half, this lead was nearly increased again when a passing move out of defence, so typical of Aberdither at their best, ended with a shot from Kilbane, cutting in from the left, going across the goal and just beyond the far post. Despite this encouraging start to the half, Aberdither opted to play cautiously from then on, and when they do this, they can be very difficult to break down. Chances were therefore at a premium, and when Mill Town eventually created one, it was from an unusual move, for them, when Latchford connected with a long ball, only for his shot to be blocked, with the ball going out for a corner. From this, Morrissey crossed towards the outside of the penalty area, for Wright-Phillips to run in from deep and fire the ball beyond Southall, and the visitors were back in the match.

With a quarter of the game remaining, Mill Town attacked ambitiously, but It was Aberdither who had the two best chances in these later stages, as a shot from Royle was saved by Larrieu, and then, in the last seconds, another effort from Husband went only narrowly wide.

So it was the modified and compact Aberdither side who continue their encouraging start to the season. Just for the record, new (and late) signing Joe Royle has, with four goals, already exceeded his league tally for the whole of last season, with Melchester Rovers, also doing likewise compared to his predecessor in Aberdither's number 9 shirt. If he can continue this scoring form, he'll be the best buy of the season.

Division Two's early leaders nearly scored inside the opening minute, when a through pass, intended for Cook to run onto, was intercepted by Purse at full stretch. After this, Reiver's defence was kept busy in the early stages, but they thought they had opened the scoring when Baird's shot found the net, but he was penalised for his challenge on Hodge. Pressley's first clear chance came after Carsley and Buckley combined in midfield, the latter then passed to Nugent, whose nod down was met by Cook, but the shot went just wide. At the other end, Nelson tried to take advantage of a misunderstanding in defence, but his shot, also, was just off target. Midway through the half, Pressley took a deserved lead when Johnson, on the right, ran onto Carsley's through pass and fired the ball home.

Reiver responded when Reynolds beat Connolly to a weak clearance from Hodge, only for his first time shot to skim the post. A couple of minutes before half-time, another clearance from the keeper was mis-directed, again Reynolds was on the spot and this time he hammered his shot home for the equaliser.

Right at the start of the second half, and against the run of play, it was Reynolds, yet again, who was in the right place to receive a stray pass out of defence, but this time Hodge made the save. What then followed was a long spell of persistent pressure from Pressley, with the home goal having something of a charmed life. Firstly Buckley, running in from midfield, had a shot saved by Cole, and two minutes later the same player had another shot, which was blocked. From a left wing corner, the ball rebounded off Hore, inside the goal area, only to go into the hands of the fortunate keeper, who, just afterwards, was able to scramble a weak shot, on the turn, from Nugent off the line. Just when it appeared to be "one of those days" for Pressley, they had a change of luck when Capaldi's shot, from outside the corner of the area, was deflected wide of Cole and into the net by Nugent. Two minutes later, Carsley and Buckley combined again in midfield, and this time it was the former whose long shot went into the corner of the net to double Pressley's lead, deservedly. Carsley then returned to being provider when Johnson ran onto his pass and nearly added a fourth. Then Hodge had to be alert to save Baird's shot with a minute remaining.

Had that gone in, there may well have been a tense finish to this match. As it was, Pressley held out for a deserved win, with the knowledge that their early season lead in the table would be preserved.

In Division Two, in what might have been considered the top match, the repeat of last season's Cup Final, Blackridge Town overcame Melchester Rovers 4-1, and hence keep up their pressure on Pressley. In that match, Andy Gray scored the season's first hat-trick.

Next time: Dave Blackpool's off the see the match between Division One's newcomers, when Mill Athletic, still without a win, host Greyston Town, who've just suffered their first defeat. We hope you will be able to join us.

Highwood Athletic are one of our genuine "greens", who have played in an LW 393, green shirts, white shorts, with all green bases, since joining the Conference in 03. There are plans for them to switch to a 15 when the Conference leads the way in the proposed switch to flats next season.

They have never made the league proper, as, for some unknown reason, they are notoriously inconsistent. Rather like the curate's egg, "When they're good, they're very good, but . . . . !" They play a 4-3-3 formation, with many crosses coming from the left, around the halfway line.

Their biggest success to date was in 03, when in a cup first round replay, they came from two goals down to beat Hinton Utd. then in the first division,
3-2 in extra time.

For any of you who have followed the lower divisions over the years, HA's current team is: Neil Ramsbottom; Gary Poole, Mike Ham, Maxime Blanchard, Dominic Naylor; Merk Saunders, Darren Garner, Leigh Cooper; Rommy Boco, Reuben Reid, Richard Landon.